If only everything could integrate! I was talking to a friend of mine who works on an integration team for a SaaS company and spends 18 months integrating solutions for end users only to come to the conclusion 18 months later that the “data path plan” has changed by the end user. Let’s reset the clock.
Software integrations are great – they can save hours of manual entry, eliminate human error, and give us some sanity that systems are working together. With all that said, if done poorly, integrations can be a huge waste of time and money. Integrating for the sake of integrating is just mind numbing.
Active Directory / HR Software
When it comes to access control, we are going to highlight a specific integration we support with one of our users: Active Directory/HR Software.
We work with an account that has nearly 400,000 employees where there’s a lot of turnover due to the nature of their business and season hours. Based on their needs, we built a custom integration with their team to make sure the day someone is hired their credential works at the right door and at the right times. It’s like that arcade game of dropping the ball down the wall with 100’s of pins, we make sure it lands in the right place every time. The sorting of people is based on a number of factors, all of which we can custom build.
When a person is hired and given an ID number, the next day their PIN will work. If that person is let go, same thing. Next day, the credential does not work. Over the years we have needed to make changes to the integration (COVID restrictions, new HR platforms, Server migrations, Changes to Employee ID numbers, etc.) but the basics stay the same. Automation is critical and without it, the entire operation could be hung up.
HR Software’s are a common integration we see, but not the only one. We also see badge printing software, video software, SSO application, and many more. For any enterprise system, it is essential for the access control software to be nimble with integrating into other platforms. It gives the end user a central source of truth to work from. If someone is taken out of the HR system, they are automatically taken out of the security system too (deactivated). This works the other way around too.
To learn more about how software integrations can apply to your organization – give us a call and we are more than happy to dig into the details. You can also check out our white paper about other types of integrations (hardware and software).